Disclosed is a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which includes a chamber having an environment-controlled inside space, a stage disposed in the inside space of the chamber and for holding a substrate to perform a predetermined process to the substrate, a temporary storage for temporarily storing one or more substrates in a local environment being independent from the chamber inside, a robot for conveying a substrate between the stage and the temporary storage, and a controller for controlling the robot so that the substrate is stored into the temporary storage when the environment control of the chamber inside space is suspended.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising the steps of: performing a predetermined process for semiconductor manufacture to a substrate in a chamber having an environment-controlled interior space; and storing the substrate in a buffering space which is environmentally-controlled independently from said interior space when environment control of the interior spaced is suspended.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the buffering space includes a library disposed inside the chamber.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said buffering space includes a carrier mounted on the chamber.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said buffering space is environmentally-controlled independently from its periphery by tight closure or by use of a positive pressure.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein a gas flow is produced inside the buffering space independently of the interior space.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is stored in the buffering space when maintenance related to the semiconductor manufacture is conducted.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each substrate is a reticle and a wafer, and wherein the predetermined process is an exposure process to be performed to the substrate.
8. A semiconductor manufacturing method comprising the steps of: performing a predetermined process related to semiconductor manufacture to a substrate in a chamber having an interior space which is environmentally-controlled independently from an outside space; and storing the substrate in a buffering space defined in the chamber and being environmentally-controlled independently from the outside space and the interior space.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the buffering space is environmentally-controlled independently from its periphery by tight closure or by use of a positive pressure.
10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein during conducting the predetermined process to the substrate another substrate to be processed subsequently is stored in the buffering space.
11. The method according the claim 10 , wherein a gas flow is produced inside the buffering space, independently of the interior space.
12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the gas flow has a predetermined temperature effective to adjust a temperature of a substrate inside the buffering space.
13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined temperature is substantially equal to a temperature of a stage for holding the substrate.
14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the substrate is stored in the buffering space during a period for a maintenance operation in which the chamber is opened, and wherein the substrate in the buffering space is tightly closed or maintained under a positive pressure.
15. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the substrate is stored in the buffering space during a period in which a second substrate is processed and wherein the substrate in the buffer space is temperature controlled.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 13, 2002
July 6, 2004
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